Beach cleaner

ABSTRACT

A beach cleaner which scrapes up the litter along with sand and captures and deposits the churned up litter and sand in the mesh member. The beach cleaner  50  includes a frame; keel members, a scraper, and a tow portion that are disposed in a front portion of the frame; a mesh member disposed in a rear portion of the frame. The keel members and the scraper churn up litter scattered on sand ground, along with sand, while the beach cleaner travels on a surface of the sand ground by being towed by a towing vehicle. The churned up litter is deposited in the mesh member. Mesh of the mesh member is relatively rough at a front portion thereof in the traveling direction and finer at a rear portion thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2006-100481, filed Mar. 31, 2006, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a beach cleaner for collecting various kinds oflitter scattered in sand ground such as bathing beach.

2. Description of Background Art

As such a beach cleaner, there is known a device including a frame, ascraper, and a mesh member. The frame is constituted by a plurality oflongitudinal members each extending along a direction of traveling and aplurality of transverse members each extending in a transverse directionor substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal members. Thescraper is disposed in a front portion of the frame, and the mesh memberis disposed in a rear portion of the frame. While the beach cleaner istraveling over a surface of sand ground by being towed by a towingvehicle with the scraper being partially sunk in the sand, litter ofrelatively small size are churned up along with sand so that the litterand sand churned up are captured and deposited in the mesh member. SeeJP-A No. 2002-356827, for instance.

In the thus constructed beach cleaner, the mesh member is detachablyattachable to the frame, and selected from a plurality of kinds withdifferent mesh sizes, depending on the conditions of the sand andlitter.

However, it is anticipated that a fine mesh member undesirably tends toinhibit the scraped sand from falling therethrough, while a rough meshmember undesirably allows the litter to fall therethrough. There is ademand for removing this drawback.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a beach cleaner which scrapes up litter alongwith sand and captures them by a mesh member, wherein the sand reachingthe mesh member is allowed to easily fall while the litter is inhibitedfrom falling.

To address the above issue, according to a first aspect of the presentinvention, a beach cleaner (e.g., the second beach cleaner 50 in theembodiment) includes a frame (e.g., the frame 53 in the embodiment)including a plurality of longitudinal members (e.g., the longitudinalmembers 51 in the embodiment) each extending along a traveling directionof the beach cleaner, and a plurality of transverse members (e.g., thetransverse members 52 a and 52 b in the embodiment) each extending in atransverse direction of the beach cleaner such that the transversemembers extend substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinalmembers.

In addition, a churn-up portion (e.g., the keel members 54 and thescraper 55 in the embodiment) is disposed in a front portion of theframe; a mesh member (e.g., the mesh member 56 in the embodiment) isdisposed in a rear portion of the frame; and a tow portion (e.g., thetow portion 67 in the embodiment) is disposed at a front end portion ofthe frame. The churn-up portion churns up litter scattered on sandground, along with sand, while the beach cleaner (e.g., the second beachcleaner 50 in the embodiment) is traveling on a surface of the sandground by being towed by a towing vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 1 in theembodiment), and the churned up litter is deposited in the mesh member,the mesh member having an encircling member (e.g., the encircling member91 in the embodiment) open at least at a side. Further, the mesh of themesh member is relatively rough at a front portion thereof in thetraveling direction, and the mesh is finer at a rear portion thereof inthe traveling direction than that of at least the front portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the mesh memberis shiftable relative to the frame in a front-rear direction.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

According to the first aspect of the present invention, relatively heavyand damp sand is well sieved off to fall through the relatively roughmesh at the front portion of the mesh member in the traveling direction.On the other hand, relatively light and dry sand reaches the rearportion of the mesh member in the traveling direction along with litterof relatively small size, and is sieved off to fall through therelatively fine mesh, while the litter does not tend to falltherethrough but is caught excellently. That is, irrespective of theconditions of the sand and litter, the sand reaching the mesh member isallowed to easily fall while the litter is inhibited from falling,thereby enhancing the capability of the beach cleaner to collect litter.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the position ofthe mesh member is shiftable relative to the frame in the front-reardirection, depending on the state of scraping up of sand and litter,thereby allowing the sand to fall further easily and inhibiting thelitter from falling more strictly.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of beach cleaners according to an embodiment ofthe invention and being transported by being mounted on a trailertogether with other devices;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a first beach cleaner according to theembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the first beach cleaner shown in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b) are explanatory views of a sand pin of the firstbeach cleaner, in which FIG. 4( a) is a side view and FIG. 4( b) is aview as seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4( a);

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) are explanatory views of a modification of the sandpin, in which FIG. 5( a) is a side view and FIG. 5( b) is a view as seenin the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5( a);

FIG. 6 is a side view of the first beach cleaner with a weight mountingportion attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 are explanatory views of the weight mounting portion shown inFIG. 6, in which FIG. 8( a) is a top view and FIG. 8( b) is a side viewthereof;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory exploded view showing the weight mountingportion shown in FIG. 6 and a weight attached thereto;

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a weight mounting portion as attached toa front carrier of a towing vehicle;

FIG. 11 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory exploded view showing the weight mountingportion shown in FIG. 10 and a weight attached thereto;

FIG. 13 is a side view of a litter collecting station according to theembodiment;

FIG. 14 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory perspective view of a dividable structure inthe litter collecting station;

FIG. 16 is a side view of a second beach cleaner according to theembodiment;

FIG. 17 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a rear view corresponding to FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a side view of a front portion of a frame of the second beachcleaner;

FIG. 20 is a view as seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a side view of a hinge for a mesh member of the second beachcleaner and its vicinity;

FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b) are views as seen in the direction of arrow A andarrow B in FIG. 21, respectively; and

FIGS. 23( a) and 23(b) represent a case where the mesh member of thesecond beach cleaner is made movable in a front-rear direction, and areside views of the mesh member at a retracted position and at an advancedposition, respectively;

FIG. 24 illustrates a path along which the vehicle travels when a sandybeach is cleaned using the beach cleaners of the embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a side view of the first beach cleaner as towed by thevehicle; and

FIG. 26 is a side view of the second beach cleaner as towed by thevehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a small-sized and lightweight body, andleft and right front wheels 2 and left and right rear wheels 3 which arelow pressure balloon tires of relatively large diameter. The front andrear wheels 2, 3 are disposed at a front portion and a rear portion ofthe body, respectively. The vehicle is provided by a so-called ATV (AllTerrain Vehicle) the running performance of which especially in roughterrain is improved by setting large the ground clearance of thevehicle. A body frame 4 of the vehicle 1 has a box-like shape long in afront-rear direction at a middle portion in a transverse direction ofthe vehicle. In a substantially middle portion of the vehicle body frame4, an engine 5 as a motor of the vehicle 1 is installed.

The engine, which may be a water-cooled single cylinder engine, forinstance, outputs a torque of a crankshaft to front and rear propellershafts 6 a, 6 b via a transmission of meshing gear type. The torquetransmitted to the front and rear propeller shafts 6 a, 6 b is outputtedto the front and rear wheels 2, 3 via front and rear reduction gears 7a, 7 b, respectively.

The vehicle 1 is of so-called semi-automatic transmission type where thegear ratio of the transmission can be electronically changeable. Forinstance, where a centrifugal clutch is interposed, the gear ratio canbe changed merely by manipulation of a change button or others withoutan operator bothering to operate a clutch. Such a vehicle 1 is moresuitable for traveling with high traveling load and traveling at aconstant speed.

The front left and right wheels 2 are suspended in a front portion ofthe body frame 4 by means of a front suspension 8 a of single wheelsuspension type. The rear left and right wheels 3 are suspended in arear portion of the body frame 4 by means of a rear suspension 8 b whichmay be of swing arm type, for instance. At a rear end portion of a swingarm 9 of the rear suspension 8 b, a trailer hitch 11 for towing atrailer is disposed. Reference numerals 12 a and 12 b in the drawingsrespectively denote a front carrier supported at the front portion ofthe body frame 4 and a rear carrier supported at the rear portion of thebody frame 4.

The vehicle 1 can tow first and second beach cleaners 20, 50, which willbe described later, and a trailer 13 for carrying a litter collectingstation 40.

For instance, the trailer 13 is constructed to have a body frame 14, apair of wheels 15, i.e., a left wheel and a right wheel, a carrier 16disposed on the body frame 14, and a tow arm 17. The left and rightwheels are disposed at two opposed sides of a lower portion of the bodyframe 14, and the carrier 16 have a vertically thin box-like shape openat the upper side. The tow arm 17 extends frontward from the under sideof a front portion of the body frame 14. At a front end portion of thetow arm 17, a hitch coupler 17 a which is to engage the trailer hitch 11is disposed.

On an upper surface of the carrier 16 and at left and right ends at eachof a front side and a rear side, a receiving member 16 a for supportingeach of connecting pipes 46 (described later) of the litter collectingstation 40 is disposed. Each of the receiving members 16 a has aV-shaped recess open upward. The connecting pipes 46 of the littercollecting station 40 as inverted and mounted on the trailer 13 arefitted in the recesses to be held thereby. On the litter collectingstation 40 as inverted and mounted on the trailer 13, the second beachcleaner 50 is mounted, for instance in a state where the second beachcleaner 50 is engaged with a ground-contact member 43 and thusrestricted from displacing, and the first beach cleaner 20 is mounted,for instance in a state where the first beach cleaner 20 is accommodatedin the carrier 16.

It is noted that each of the beach cleaners 20, 50 and the littercollecting station 40 is in the state mounted on the trailer 13 in FIG.1, but is in use on sand ground in FIG. 2 and the following drawingsunless otherwise noted. In some drawings, line GL represents the groundsurface (or upper surface of the sand), and line CL represents atransverse centerline of the vehicle 1, the beach cleaners 20, 50 towedthereby, and the litter collecting station 40 through which the vehicle1 and the beach cleaners 20, 50 pass. (Hereinafter, the vehicle 1, thebeach cleaners 20, 50, and the litter collecting station 40 may becollectively referred to as “vehicle and other devices”.) Arrow FRindicates the front side in the traveling direction (or front-reardirection) of the vehicle and other devices, arrow UP indicates theupper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle and other devices,and arrow LH indicates the left side in the transverse direction of thevehicle and other devices.

Each of the beach cleaners 20, 50 is towed by the vehicle 1 to travel ina sand ground, such as one at seacoast (sandy beach), during which thebeach cleaner 20, 50 picks up various kinds of litter scattered on thesand. The litter picked up by the beach cleaners 20, 50 are collectedtogether into the litter collecting station 40 which is installed at aplace in the sand ground. Each of the beach cleaners 20, 50 and littercollecting station 40 is produced by suitably assembling a plurality ofkinds of steel products, such as those of stainless steel, by acombining method such as welding. It may be arranged such that each ofthe beach cleaners 20, 50 is towed by a tractor.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first beach cleaner 20 is constructedsuch that a plurality (e.g., 15) of longitudinal members 21 eachextending along the traveling direction are arranged in the transversedirection (or left-right direction) at regular intervals to form a frame22 like a duckboard, and a plurality of sand pins 23 are detachablyattached to each of the longitudinal members 21 such that the sand pins23 protrude downward. The first beach cleaner 20 is constructedsymmetrically in the transverse direction.

Each of the longitudinal members 21 is provided by a circular steel tube(or alternatively a rectangular steel tube) disposed to extend in thefront-rear direction and having a front end portion bent obliquely upfrontward or backward. A plurality of such longitudinal members 21 arearranged in the left-right direction to entirely overlap one another inside view. Front ends of the longitudinal members 21 are abutted andjoined, from the obliquely rear lower side, to a front transverse member24 a extending along the left-right direction, which may be arectangular steel tube. Rear ends of the longitudinal members 21 areabutted and joined, from the obliquely front lower side, to a reartransverse member 24 b extending along the left-right direction, whichmay be a rectangular steel tube.

The frame 22 constituted by the longitudinal members 21 and thetransverse members 24 a, 24 b has a rectangular shape long in thetransverse direction in top view. The transverse dimension of the frame22 is equal to or slightly larger than the transverse dimension of thevehicle 1, and smaller than the transverse dimension between a left sidestructure 41 and a right side structure 41 of the litter collectingstation 40 which will be described later.

It is arranged such that the sand pin 23 can be attached to eachlongitudinal member 21 at each of a front portion, a middle portion, anda rear portion thereof. That is, a plurality of sand pins 23 can bedisposed in three rows, i.e., a front row, a middle row, and a rear row.According to this arrangement, the travel resistance during traveling atlow speed is lowered, and it is possible to further lower the travelresistance by reducing the number of the sand pins 23 depending on thefirmness of the sand ground surface. The amount of protrusion of thesand pins 23 from an under surface of the frame 22 is set at 100 mm atmost so as to reduce the impact to the ecosystem in the sand.

When the thus constructed first beach cleaner 20 travels in the sandground, relatively large-sized litter scattered (ropes, nets, driftwood,and others) are raked by being caught at or entangled around the sandpins 23.

Referring further to FIG. 4, each sand pin 23 has a plate-like member 25curved to fit an outer surface of a lower portion of the longitudinalmember 21, a pin main body 26 vertically extending through theplate-like member 25, and a brace-like support member 27 extendingbetween a lower portion of the pin main body 26 and a rear portion ofthe plate-like member 25. The sand pin 23 has a triangular shapenarrower on the lower side in side view. An upper portion of the pinmain body 26 is formed as an externally threaded portion 26 a. With theexternally threaded portion 26 a being inserted through the longitudinalmember 26 from the under side to protrude upward from the longitudinalmember 21, the plate-like member 25 is contacted with an under surfaceof the longitudinal member 21. In this state, a cap nut 28 is threadablymounted on the externally threaded portion 26 a and tightened, therebyfixing the sand pin 23 on the longitudinal member 21. At a position inthe longitudinal member 21 where the pin main body 26 extends through, acylindrical collar 29 is inserted and fixed.

As FIG. 5 shows, where the longitudinal member is provided by arectangular steel tube 21′, a sand pin 23′ corresponding thereto isemployed. That is, the sand pin 23′ has a plate-like member 25′ which issquare U-shaped in cross section in order to fit an outer surface of alower portion of the longitudinal member 21′. With the plate-like member25′ fitted on the lower portion of the longitudinal member 21′, the capnut 28 is threadably mounted on the externally threaded portion 26 a andtightened, thereby fixing the sand pin 23′ on the longitudinal member21′. The width of a cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal member 21′in the left-right direction is relatively large so as to improve theslidability of the first beach cleaner on sand ground. In a case where alower end portion of the pin main body 26 is bent frontward to form abent portion 26 b, the capability of collecting litter is furtherenhanced.

As FIGS. 6 and 7 show, on the frame 22 of the first beach cleaner 20,there can be disposed a weight mounting portion 31 for adjusting anamount of sinking of the sand pins 23 into the sand.

Referring further to FIG. 8, the weight mounting portion 31 isconstructed such that two base members 32 arranged in the left-rightdirection are integrally connected by means of a support bracket 33.Each base member 32 is provided by a longitudinal member long in thefront-rear direction. The base members 32 are interspaced from eachother in the left-right direction by the same distance as the distanceof two adjacent longitudinal members 21 of the frame 22 in theleft-right direction. In each of a front end portion and a rear endportion of each base portion 32, there is formed an insertion hole 32 athrough which the externally threaded portion 26 a of a correspondingone of the sand pins 23 that are attached to the frame 22 in thefront-rear direction arrangement. The support bracket 33, which has asquare U-shaped cross-sectional shape open rearward and extends in theleft-right direction, is disposed to extend across longitudinally middleportions of the base portions 32.

The weight mounting portion 31 constructed as described above can beattached to the frame 22 at the position corresponding to the sand pins23, by screwing using the sand pin 23. However, even at a position notcorresponding to the sand pins 23, the weight mounting portion 31 can beattached by using suitable bolts or others. Thus, the number of theweight mounting portion(s) 31 mounted on the frame 22 and theposition(s) on the frame 22 at which the weight mounting portion(s) 31is/are mounted are not limited.

Referring further to FIG. 9, a weight 34 supported by the weightmounting portion 31 has a block construction having a lower block 34 afitted in the support bracket 33 from the rear side and an upper block34 b fitted on the lower block 34 a from the upper side.

With a front end portion of the lower block 34 a being disposed insidethe support bracket 33, the lower block 34 a is connected and fixed tothe support bracket 33 by means of an engaging pin 35 a verticallyinserted through the front end portion of the lower block 34 a and thesupport bracket 33. With a lower portion of the upper block 34 b fittedon an upper portion of the lower block 34 a, the upper block 34 b isconnected and fixed to the lower block 34 a by means of a connectingbolt 35 b vertically inserted through the upper and lower blocks 34 a,34 b.

As FIGS. 10 and 11 show, a predetermined weight mounting portion 31′ canbe disposed on the front carrier 12 a of the vehicle 1 so that evenwhere the travel resistance increases due to the weight 34 mounted onthe first beach cleaner 20 or for other reasons, the load on the frontwheels is sufficiently high to give sufficient driving force.

The weight mounting portion 31′ is constructed such that a supportbracket 33 similar to that of the weight mounting portion 31 describedabove is integrally disposed on a base portion 32′ conforming to anupper surface of the front carrier 12 a. The base portion 32′ is aplate-like member oblong rectangular in top view, and detachablyattached, at the under side of a front portion and a rear portionthereof, to pipe members of the front carrier 12 a extending in theleft-right direction.

Referring further to FIG. 12, a weight 34′ supported by the weightmounting portion 31′ has a block construction having a lower block 34 a′fitted in the support bracket 33 from the rear side and the upper block34 b fitted on the lower block 34 a′ from the upper side.

In the lower block 34 a′, an amount of rearward extension is slightlyincreased as compared with the lower block 34 a, and a front end portionof the lower block 34 a′ is connected and fixed to the support bracket33 by means of the engaging pin 35 a. With a lower portion of the upperblock 34 b fitted on a rear portion of an upper portion of the lowerblock 34 a′, the upper and lower blocks 34 a′, 34 b are connected andfixed to each other by means of the connecting bolt 35 b. The weight ofthe weight 34′ is set larger than that of the weight 34. In a case wherethe wheels slip on the sand ground, a tire chain may be attached on thewheels.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a tow portion 37 for use in towing the firstbeach cleaner 20 by the vehicle 1 is disposed on the front side of eachof fourth ones of the longitudinal members 21 of the frame 22 as countedfrom left and right. Each tow portion 37 is a thick plate-like memberextending to perpendicularly intersect the left-right direction, and hasa plurality (e.g., three) of connecting holes 37 a that are arranged ina line along an inclination of the front end portion of the longitudinalmember 21. A first one of two opposite ends of a tow rod 38 is connectedto the trailer hitch 11 of the vehicle 1 and a second one of the twoopposite ends of the tow rod 38 is engaged with one of the connectingholes 37 a, so that the first beach cleaner 20 is towed by the vehicle 1through the tow rod 38 (see FIG. 25).

By the selection of the one connecting hole 37 a with which the secondend of the tow rod 38 is engaged, the tow position can be set at themost suitable one that corresponds to the amount of sinking of the firstbeach cleaner 20 into the sand and other conditions. Referring furtherto FIG. 14, the tow rod 38 has the first end connected to the trailerhitch 11 and extends therefrom toward the left and right tow portions 37into a V- or Y-like shape in top view. At the first end of the tow rod38, there is disposed the hitch coupler 17 a to engage the trailer hitch11.

From each of a left and a right end of the frame 22, a lift arm 39protrudes outward, i.e., leftward and rightward, respectively. Forinstance, each lift arm 39 is a frame-like member that is rectangular intop view and substantially horizontal at its middle portion in theleft-right direction with an inner portion and an outer portion thereofin the left-right direction being respectively bent obliquely downwardtoward the inside and outside. The dimension between outer lateral endsof the left and right lift arms 39 is larger than the dimension of theleft and right side structures 41 of the litter collecting station 40 inthe same direction. When the first beach cleaner 20 towed by the vehicle1 enters a space between the left and right side structures 41, the leftand right lift arms 39 get upon the left and right side structures 41 tolift the first beach cleaner 20 by a predetermined amount. The distancebetween the left and right side structures 41 is larger than thetransverse dimension of the vehicle 1, and thus the vehicle 1 can travelthrough the space between the left and right side structures 41.

As FIGS. 13 and 14 show, when the first beach cleaner 20 is lifted atthe litter collecting station 40 as described above, the sand pins 23separate from the upper surface of the sand ground by a sufficientdistance and the litter raked by the sand pins 23 fall onto the sandground so that the litter can be gathered to be collected.

The litter collecting station 40 is formed by integrally connecting theleft and right side structures 41 by means of a pair of connectingmembers 42, i.e., a front connecting member and a rear connectingmember, and may be symmetric in both of the front-rear and left-rightdirections, for instance.

Each of the left and right side structures 41 is constructed such that aguide member 44, which may be provided by a circular steel tube and isgently angled at two points to be substantially symmetric in thefront-rear direction in side view, is disposed on a bar-likeground-contact member 43, which may be provided by a circular steel tubeand extends in the front-rear direction, and front end portions and rearend portions of these members 43, 44 are respectively integrallyconnected.

A foot member 45 is detachably attached to each of a front end and arear end of each of the left and right ground-contact members 43. In topview, the foot member 45 attached to the front end is bent outwardtoward the front side, and the foot member 45 attached to the rear endis bent outward toward the rear side. The foot members 45 and theground-contact members 43 together contact the sand ground, therebyincreasing the contact area of the litter collecting station 40. Hence,the litter collecting station 40 can be stably installed.

Referring further to FIG. 15, the connecting members 42 may be providedby circular steel tubes extending in the left-right direction, forinstance. The connecting members 42 integrally connect the left andright side structures 41 such that end portions of the connectingmembers 42 are detachably inserted into respective connecting pipes 46disposed under front and rear portions of the ground-contact members 43.That is, the litter collecting station 40 is dividable into a pluralityof parts (namely, the left and right side structures 41 and the frontand rear connecting members 42) due to its relatively large size.

The connecting pipes 46 at the front and rear portions of theground-contact members 43 are provided by relatively short circularsteel tubes extending in the left-right direction. Each connecting pipe46 is integrally combined with the ground-contact member 43 with anupper circumferential portion of the connecting pipe 46 fitted on acutout on the under side of the ground-contact member 43. That is, theconnecting pipes 46 protrude downward from under surfaces of theground-contact members 43, so that when the litter collecting station 40is installed on the sand ground, the connecting pipes 46 slightly sinkinto the sand to inhibit the litter collecting station 40 from moving.

In the assembled state where the end portion of each connecting member42 is inserted in the connecting pipe 46 by a predetermined amount (forinstance, an outer side end of the connecting pipe 46 and that of thecorresponding connecting member 42 match), a vertical through-hole 42 aformed in the connecting pin 42 and a vertical through-hole 46 a formedin the connecting pipe 46 align, at a position on the outside of left orright of the ground-contact member 43, for instance, and a prescribedengaging pin 47 is inserted through the vertical through-holes 42 a, 46a, thereby connecting the connecting member 42 and the ground-contactmember 43 such that the members 42, 43 can not be separated from eachother when assembled as described above.

The engaging pin 47 inserted through the connecting member 42 and theconnecting pipe 46 is further inserted into the sand by a predeterminedamount. That is, the engaging pin 47 restricts the litter collectingstation 40 from moving from the predetermined position while the littercollecting station 40 is in the installed state. By removing theengaging pin 47 and pulling the connecting member 42 from the connectingpipe 46, the litter collecting station 40 can be divided into the leftand right side structures 41 and the front and rear connecting members42.

As FIGS. 16 and 17 show, the second beach cleaner 50 includes a frame 53mainly composed of a plurality (e.g., three) of longitudinal members 51each extending along the traveling direction of the vehicle and frontand rear transverse members 52 a, 52 b each extending in a transversedirection (left-right direction) to substantially perpendicularintersect the longitudinal members 51. The second beach cleaner 50further includes keel members 54 and scraper 55 that are disposed in afront portion of the frame 53 and will be described later, and a meshmember 56 (described later) disposed in a rear portion of the frame 53.The second beach cleaner 50 is also symmetric in the left-rightdirection.

For instance, the longitudinal members 51 may be provided by circularsteel tubes disposed along the front-rear direction and each beinggently bent into a crank-like shape in side view at its middle portionin the front-rear direction, so that a rear portion of each longitudinalmember 51 is located slightly above a front portion thereof. In thefront portion of the longitudinal member 51, a middle portion in thefront-rear direction is gently bent so that a front half of the frontportion is slightly inclined upward. Hereinafter, the front half of thefront portion of the longitudinal member 51 will be referred to as“front inclined portion 57”. On the other hand, a rear end portion ofthe longitudinal member 51 is bent upward. The longitudinal members 51may be provided by rectangular steel tubes.

A plurality of the longitudinal members 51 are arranged in theleft-right direction to entirely overlap one another in side view. Frontends of the longitudinal members 51 are abutted and joined, from therear lower side, to a front transverse member 52 a extending along theleft-right direction, which may be a rectangular steel tube. Rear endsof the longitudinal members 51 are abutted and joined, from the lowerside, to a rear transverse member 52 b extending along the left-rightdirection, which may be a circular steel tube. The frame 53 mainlycomposed of the longitudinal members 51 and the transverse members 52 a,52 b is substantially foursquare in top view. The transverse dimensionof the frame 53 is made substantially the same as that of the frame 22of the first beach cleaner 20.

Between one in the middle of the left-right direction arrangement of thelongitudinal members 51 and each of a leftmost and a rightmost one ofthe longitudinal members 51, there are arranged a plurality (e.g.,three) of scraper frames 58 in the left-right direction. The scraperframes 58 are inclined to overlap the front inclined portions 57 in sideview. The scraper frames 58 are formed of circular steel tubes of thesame diameter as the longitudinal members 51, but may be formed ofrectangular steel tubes instead. Front ends of the scraper frames 58 areabutted and joined, from the rear side, to the front transverse member52 a, and rear ends of the scraper frames 58 are free ends not jointedto any members. The scraper frames 58 and the longitudinal member 51 atthe middle in the left-right direction are arranged at almost regularintervals, but a leftmost and a right most one of the scraper frames 58are respectively spaced from the leftmost and the rightmost longitudinalmembers 51 by an interval narrower than the intervals at the otherpositions.

To the front inclined portions 57 of the longitudinal members 51 and thescraper frames 58 are attached keel members 54 and a scraper 55 thatcooperate to function as a churn-up portion which churns up sand andrelatively small-sized litter (e.g., beverage containers, waste paper,and cigarette butts) while the second beach cleaner 50 is traveling bybeing towed.

Referring further to FIGS. 19 and 20, the keel members 54 are detachablyattached to rear portions of the front inclined portions 57 of thelongitudinal members 51, and rear portions of the scraper frames 58.Each of the keel members 54 includes a plate-like member 61 curved tofit a lower outer surface of the front inclined portion 57 or of thescraper frame 58, a U-shaped pin 62 open upward in side view and havingtwo arms that extend through the plate-like member 61, and a keel mainbody 63 formed of a plate-like member extending downward from a lowerend of the plate-like member 61 to substantially perpendicularlyintersect the left-right direction.

An upper portion of each of the two arms of the U-shaped pin 62 isformed as an externally threaded portion 62 a. With the two externallythreaded portions 62 a extending from the under side of the frontinclined portion 57 or the scraper frame 58 therethrough to protrude tothe upper side thereof, the plate-like member 61 contacts an undersurface of the front inclined portion 57 or of the scraper frame 58, andcap nuts 64 are threadably mounted on the respective externally threadedportions 62 a and tightened, thereby fixing the keel member 54 to thefront inclined portion 57 or the scraper frame 58. At positions wherethe two arms of the U-shaped pin 62 extend through the front inclinedportion 57 or scraper frame 58, there are inserted and fixed cylindricalcollars 65.

At a rear end portion of each keel member 54 (or of each keel main body63), a plurality of scraper support holes 66 are formed, and the scraper55 is inserted and supported to each of the scraper support holes 66.For instance, the scraper 55 is a bar-like member extending along theleft-right direction and circular in cross section, and extends acrossthe keel members 54 by being inserted through and supported by one ofthe scraper support holes 66 arranged in the vertical direction. Thescraper 55 is selectively supportable depending on the conditions of thesandy beach and litter, and a plurality of scrapers 55 are supportable.At each of two opposite ends of the scraper 55, there is provided astopper for preventing falling off of the scraper 55 from the keelmembers 54. For instance, the stopper may be a predetermined engagingpin inserted. The cross-sectional shape of the scraper 55 may not belimited to a circular shape but may be otherwise. For instance, thescraper 55 may have an upper surface inclined downward toward the frontside to be semi-circular in cross section. A single scraper 55 may beused, or alternatively three or more scrapers 55 may be used, and thescrapers 55 may not be arranged in the vertical direction but in theleft-right direction or obliquely.

The keel members 54 and the scraper 55 are disposed to sink into thesand by a suitable amount. With the keel members 54 and the scraper 55in such a sunk condition, the second beach cleaner 50 travels so thatthe keel members 54 push through the sand and litter, and the scraper 55churns up the sand and litter. The churned up sand and litter aredeposited in the mesh member 56 in the rear portion of the frame 53.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, a tow portion 67 for use in towing thesecond beach cleaner 50 by the vehicle 1 is disposed on the front sideof each of the second leftmost one and the second rightmost one of thescraper frames 58 as counted from left and right of the frame 53,respectively, for instance. The tow portion 67 is formed of a thickplate-like member extending to perpendicularly intersect the left-rightdirection, and has a plurality (e.g., four) of connecting holes 67 aarranged in the vertical direction. The second end of the tow rod 38 theother end of which is connected to the trailer hitch 11 is engaged withone of the connecting holes 67 a, so that the second beach cleaner 50 istowed by the vehicle 1 through the tow rod 38 (see FIG. 26).

By the selection of the one connecting hole 67 a with which the secondend of the tow rod 38 is engaged, the tow position can be set at themost suitable one that corresponds to the road clearance of the secondbeach cleaner 50 and other conditions. The transverse distance betweenthe left and right tow portions 67 is almost the same as that of theleft and right tow portions 37.

For instance, on the front side of each of the leftmost and rightmostscraper frames 58 of the frame 53, a front ski support pipe 72 forsupporting a front ski leg 71 is disposed. The front ski support pipe 72is provided by a member, which may be a rectangular steel tube, forinstance, and vertically extends through the front transverse member 52a. The front ski support pipe 72 can support a leg member 73 of thefront ski leg 71 as inserted in the front ski support pipe 72. The legmember 73 is provided by a rectangular steel tube. The front ski leg 71functions to set the road clearance (the height from the upper surfaceof the sand ground) of a front portion of the second beach cleaner 50 ata predetermined value, and enhance the slidability of the second beachcleaner 50 on the sand ground. The front ski leg 71 is constructed suchthat the leg member 73 stands on a front ski plate 74 having apredetermined width and a upward curved front portion.

The front ski support pipe 72 has a transverse through-hole 72 a, andthe leg member 73 has a plurality (e.g., four) of transversethrough-holes 73 a vertically arranged to correspond to the transversethrough-hole 72 a. By aligning one of the transverse through-holes 73 awith the transverse through-hole 72 a of the ski support pipe andinserting a predetermined engaging pin or others through the alignedholes 73 a, 72 a, the height of the front portion of the frame 53relative to the front ski leg 71 is determined, thereby setting the roadclearance of the front portion of the second beach cleaner 50 at thepredetermined value. That is, by selecting the one of the transversethrough-holes 73 a of the leg member 73 into which the engaging pin orothers is inserted, the road clearance of the front portion of thesecond beach cleaner 50 is adjustable, thereby enabling adjustment ofthe amount of sinking of the keel members 54 and the scraper 55 into thesand.

From a rear side of the rear transverse member 52 b and at each of twolateral sides, an extension frame 75, which may be provided by arectangular steel tube, extends rearward. At rear end portion of theextension frame 75, a rear ski support pipe 77 for supporting a rear skileg 76 is disposed. The rear ski support pipe 77 vertically extendsthrough the extension frame 75 and may be provided by a rectangularsteel tube, for instance. The rear ski support pipe 77 can support a legmember 78 of the rear ski leg 76 as inserted in the rear ski supportpipe 77. The leg member 78 may be provided by a rectangular steel tube.The rear ski leg 76 has the same structure and function as those of thefront ski leg 71, and is constructed such that the leg member 78 standson a rear ski plate 79.

The rear ski support pipe 77 has a single transverse through-hole 77 a,and a plurality (e.g., four) of transverse through-holes 78 a verticallyarranged are formed in the leg member 78 to correspond to the transversethrough-hole 77 a. By aligning one of the transverse through-holes 78 awith the transverse through-hole 77 a of the ski support pipe andinserting a predetermined engaging pin or others through the alignedholes 78 a, 77 a, the height of the rear portion of the frame 53relative to the rear ski leg 76 is determined, thereby setting the roadclearance of the rear portion of the second beach cleaner 50 at thepredetermined value (that is, the rear portion of the second beachcleaner 50 is adjustable). The transverse dimension between the outerends of the front ski plates 74 of the left and right front ski legs 71is substantially the same as the transverse dimension of the frame 53,and the transverse dimension between the outer ends of the rear skiplates 79 of the left and right rear ski legs 76 is narrower than thetransverse dimension of the frame 53.

At the front and rear portions of the frame 53 and on the left and rightouter sides thereof, there are disposed front and rear lift arms 81 a,81 b each of which extends from the outer end leftward and rightward.Each lift arm 81 a, 81 b is a frame-like member having a rectangularshape long in the transverse direction in top view, for instance. Amiddle portion of each of the lift arm 81 a, 81 b in the left-rightdirection is substantially horizontal, with an inner portion and anouter portion thereof in the left-right direction being respectivelybent obliquely downward toward the inside and the outside. The dimensionbetween outer lateral ends of the left and right lift arms 81 a, 81 b islarger than the dimension of the left and right side structures 41 ofthe litter collecting station 40 in the same direction (in other words,substantially the same as the transverse dimension between the outerlateral ends of the left and right lift arms 39 of the first beachcleaner 20). When the second beach cleaner 50 enters a space between theleft and right side structures 41, the left and right lift arms 81 a, 81b get upon the left and right side structures 41 to lift the secondbeach cleaner 50 by a predetermined amount.

When the second beach cleaner 50 is lifted at the litter collectingstation 40 as described above, the mesh member 56 at the rear portion ofthe frame 53 lifts to a predetermined level, and it becomes easy tocollect the litter deposited in the mesh member 56 by pivoting the meshmember 56 around a hinge 82 disposed at the left side of the mesh member56 (see FIG. 18). However, the collection of litter is possible evenwhile the second beach cleaner 50 is in contact with the ground and notlifted.

Referring further to FIGS. 21, 22, on the rear lift arm 81 b at the leftside of the frame 53, there is disposed a rear hinge bracket 83constituting a part of the hinge 82 pivotally supporting a left-sideportion of the mesh member 56. The rear hinge bracket 83 extends in thefront-rear direction along the proximal side of the rear lift arm 81 b,and has, at its front and rear ends, front and rear walls 84 standingupward. At an end portion of each of the front and rear walls 84, thereis formed a longitudinal through-hole 84 a for a hinge shaft 82 a.Between the front and rear walls 84, a rear hinge pipe 85 disposed atthe left side of the mesh member 56 to correspond to the rear hingebracket 83, so that the rear hinge pipe 85 is pivotally supported by therear hinge bracket 83 via the hinge shaft 82 a extending in theleft-rear direction.

On the slightly front side of the rear lift arm 81 b, a support arm 86as a frame-like member having a transverse dimension smaller than thatof the lift arm 81 b. The support arm 86 supports a front hinge bracket87 constructed similarly to the rear hinge bracket 83. In each of frontand rear walls 88 of the front hinge bracket 87, a longitudinalthrough-hole 88 a for a hinge shaft 82 a is formed. Between the frontand rear walls 88, a front hinge pipe 89 is disposed at the left side ofthe mesh member 56 to correspond to the front hinge bracket 87. Thefront hinge pipe 89 is pivotably supported by the front hinge bracket 87via the hinge shaft 82 a extending in the front-rear direction. Thehinge pipes 85, 89 and hinge shafts 82 a are coaxial with one another.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the mesh member 56 has a box-like shapeopen at the front and upper sides. For instance, the mesh member 56 isconstructed such that a metallic mesh with a predetermined mesh size isattached to a frame mainly composed of steel tubes. The mesh member 56is disposed from a position slightly forward side of the longitudinalcenter of the frame 53 to a position near a rear end of the frame 53,and the transverse dimension of the mesh member 56 is substantially thesame as that of the frame 53. The position of the front end of the meshmember 56 is spaced toward the rear side from the proximity of the rearend portions of the keel members 54, i.e., the proximity of the scraper55, by about 100-300 mm, so as to well catch the sand and litter churnedup by the keel members 54 and the scraper 55. More preferably, theposition of the front end of the mesh member 56 is spaced toward therear side from the proximity of the rear ends of the keel members 54 byabout 250 mm.

Referring further to FIG. 18, the mesh member 56 has a bottom wall 92having a rectangular shape long in the transverse direction in top view,a rear wall 93 standing substantially upright from a rear end of thebottom wall 92, and left and right side walls 94 each standing slightlyobliquely from opposite lateral ends of the bottom wall 92 to inclineoutward, i.e., to the left and right, toward the upper side. To enableto deposit the litter churned up by the keel members 54 and the scraper55 on the bottom wall 92, the rear wall 93 and the left and right sidewalls 94 cooperate to form an encircling member 91 that encircles thecircumference of the bottom wall 92 except a part at the front side sothat the encircling member 91 is open at the front side.

A front portion of the bottom wall 92 is slightly inclined frontward toform an inclined portion 92 a. The other part of the bottom wall 92 onthe rear side of the inclined portion 92 a forms a horizontal portionthat extends substantially horizontally. The horizontal portion issectioned into a front horizontal portion 92 b and a rear horizontalportion 92 c, by a border in the form of a transverse member extendingin the left-right direction.

A metallic mesh with a mesh size of 25 mm is attached to the inclinedportion 92 a of the bottom wall 92, a metallic mesh of a mesh size of 12mm is attached to the front horizontal portion 92 b, and a metallic meshwith a mesh size of 8 mm is attached to the rear horizontal portion 92c.

By setting the mesh sizes of the metallic meshes constituting the bottomwall 92 to become rougher from rear to front, a part of the sand andothers churned up by the keel members 54 and scraper 55, which arerelatively heavy due to a large amount of moisture retained thereby,does not reach the rear side of the bottom wall 92, but is well sievedoff to fall to the ground through the roughest mesh at the inclinedportion 92 a at the front side of the bottom wall 92, without causingclogging or other problems. On the other hand, the remaining part of thechurned up sand and others which are relatively light due to their highdryness reach the horizontal portion at the rear side of the bottom wall92 along with the litter, and are sieved off to fall to the groundthrough the second roughest and finest meshes attached there while thelitter does not fall through the meshes but is excellently caughtthereat. The meshes are suitably replaceable among those with mesh sizesof 8, 10, 12 and 25 mm, or within a range like this.

Each of the side walls 94 of the mesh member 56 has a side-wall mainbody 94 a having a rectangular shape long in the front-rear direction inside view and disposed on the upper side of one of the lateral ends ofthe bottom wall 92, and a rear protruding portion 94 b having atrapezoidal shape in side view and disposed on the upper side of a rearportion of the side-wall main body 94 a. Rear ends of the side-wall mainbody 94 a and the rear protruding portion 94 b are aligned into astraight line extending substantially upright in side view. The rearwall 93 of the mesh member 56 is disposed such that two lateral ends ofthe rear wall 93 agree with these rear ends. An upper end of each sidewall 94 and that of the rear wall 93 are located substantially at thesame height level.

Front and rear hinge plates 95 a, 95 b are disposed on the left sidewall 94 at a front position and a rear position therein respectively,such that the front and rear hinge plates 95 a, 95 b extend across amiddle frame member and a lower frame member of the side-wall main body94 a of the left side wall 94. The hinge plates 95 a, 95 b areplate-like members each of which is substantially foursquare in sideview and a part of which is suitably cut out to leave an outer rim and apart along diagonal lines. Front and rear end portions of the hingeplates 95 a, 95 b are bent inward in the left-right direction to form areinforcing flange. On outer side surfaces of the hinge plates 95 a, 95b, there are integrally connected the front and rear hinge pipes 89, 85,respectively.

On the upper side of a front portion of each of the left and right sidewalls 94 (and above the front hinge plate 95 a with respect to the leftside wall 94), a handle 96 a is disposed to protrude upward from theupper end of the side wall 94. The handle 96 a is U-shaped open downwardin side view, and disposed such that an upper straight segment thereofextends along the front-rear direction. The handle 96 a is inclined tobe located on the outer side of the corresponding side wall 94 by aslight amount. Two handles 96 b are disposed at the upper side of therear wall 93 such that the handles 96 b protrude upward from an upperend of the rear wall 93 at a left-side and a right-side position,respectively. Each of the handles 96 b is U-shaped open downward in rearview, and disposed substantially upright such that an upper segmentthereof extends in the left-right direction and substantially in thesame plane as the rear wall 93.

The left-side portion of the mesh member 56 is pivotably connected tothe left side of the frame 53 via the hinge 82 to be supported thereby,as described above. When the mesh member 56 is brought into an uprightposition where the bottom wall 92 thereof is substantially upright, bymoving a right side portion of the mesh member 56 upward to pivot themesh member 56 via the hinge 82, the litter deposited in the mesh member56 falls onto the left side wall 94 so that the litter is moved alongthe left side wall 94 to be discharged out of the mesh member 56.

Since the handles 96 a, 96 b are disposed at the respective positions(that should include at least the position opposite to the hinge 82) onthe encircling member 91 of the mesh member 56, collection of litter bypivoting the mesh member 56 is made easy. By disposing the hinge 82 atone of the shorter sides (the left side) of the transversely elongatemesh member 56, the dimension from the pivot axis around which the meshmember 56 is pivoted to stand upright, to the operated portion (handleat the right side) is made relatively large, so as to facilitate theoperation to pivot the mesh member 56.

The left side wall 94 of the mesh member 56 (in other words, the wall onthe side of the hinge 82 of the encircling member 91) is provided with aboard to obtain a good result of the discharge of litter. The upper endof the left side wall 94 of the mesh member 56 projects leftward fromthe outer side of the litter collecting station 40 when the mesh member56 is made to stand upright (see FIG. 18). Hence, where a littercollecting container is placed adjacent to the left side of the littercollecting station 40, the left side wall 94 is inclined to be a slopeenabling direct input of the deposited litter from the mesh member 56into the container. The right side wall 94 and the rear wall 93 of themesh member 56 are constructed to prevent falling off of the litterinput into the mesh member 56, and may be formed as a mesh portion wherea metallic mesh with a relatively large mesh size is attached, forinstance.

On the leftmost and rightmost longitudinal members 51 of the frame 53,there are disposed left and right front-end stoppers 97 a and left andright rear-end stoppers 97 b that determine the positions of left andright front ends and left and right rear ends of the mesh member 56.Each stopper 97 a, 97 b has a position regulating surface that issubstantially vertical and a pivoting guide surface. The positionregulating surface is to contact the front or rear end of the meshmember 56, and the pivoting guide surface extends continuously from andabove the position regulating surface and is inclined with respectthereto. For instance, the stoppers 97 a, 97 b are detachably attachedto the longitudinal member 51 using a bolt or others.

The position regulating surfaces of the left and right front-endstoppers 97 a are contacted by the left and right front ends of the meshmember 56 in use (i.e., in the state where the bottom wall 92 is heldsubstantially horizontal and in contact with the frame 53), and theposition regulating surfaces of the left and right rear-end stoppers 97b are contacted by the left and right rear ends of the mesh member 56 inuse, whereby the mesh member 56 is positioned relative to the frame inthe front-rear direction. When the mesh member 56 is pivoted to returnits position from the upright position to the position for use, the leftand right front ends and the left and right rear ends thereof are guidedby the guide surfaces of the stoppers 97 a, 97 b, thereby smoothlyreturning the mesh member 56 to its predetermined position on the frame53.

As shown in FIG. 23, the positions on the longitudinal members 51 wherethe stoppers 97 a, 97 b are attached may be shiftable in the front-reardirection. In a case where such a structure is employed, the mesh member56 also becomes shiftable in the front-rear direction according to theshift of the stoppers 97 a, 97 b, by means of setting the lengths of thefront and rear hinge pipes 85, 89 at the left side of the mesh member 56smaller than the distances between the front and rear walls 84, 88 ofthe front and rear hinge brackets 83, 87, respectively, or by othermeans. The thus making the front end position of the mesh member 56easily changeable depending on the state of the sand ground enhances thecapability of the second beach cleaner 50 to capture litter.

There will be roughly described a procedure of cleaning a sandy beachusing the beach cleaners 20, 50.

First, the litter collecting station 40 is carried by being mounted inthe trailer 13 as shown in FIG. 1 and installed at a predeterminedposition on the sandy beach. Although FIG. 1 shows an example where thelitter collecting station 40 as assembled is mountable on the trailer13, the litter collecting station 40 may be mounted on the trailer 13 inthe above-described disassembled state where the side structures 41 andthe connecting members 42 are disconnected from each other. In thiscase, installation of the litter collecting station 40 including loadingand unloading thereof onto and from the trailer 13 is easier. It isnoted that in FIG. 1 only the foot members 45 are removed from thelitter collecting station 40.

Next, the firmness of the ground of the sandy beach is measured to beused as a criterion for determination of the number of the sand pins 23of the first beach cleaner 20 and the amount of sinking of the keelmembers 54 and scraper 55 of the second beach cleaner 50 into sandground. For instance, this measurement may be conducted such that asteel picket of a predetermined size is made to free-fall from apredetermined height level onto the sand ground for a plurality oftimes, and the firmness of the sand ground is evaluated into three ranks(soft, medium, and firm) based on an average value of the resultsobtained by the free-fallings. Depending on the measured firmness of thesand ground and the scattering state of the litter and other conditions,the number of the sand pins 23, the weight of the weight 34, the levelat which the ski legs are attached, the connecting position of the towrod 38 relative to the tow portions 37, 67, and others are determined.

Then, the first beach cleaner 20 is taken down from the trailer 13, andvarious settings are made based on the result of the measurement of thefirmness of the sand ground. Thereafter, the first beach cleaner 20 istowered by the vehicle 1 to travel on the sand ground at a constantspeed. As shown in FIG. 24, the vehicle 1 and first beach cleaner 20 ismoved to travel along a circling path drawn within a predetermined rangeon the sand ground and substantially formed of a plurality of squareswhose positions are gradually shifted, so as to evenly clean thepredetermined range with assuredness. Since the first beach cleaner 20picks up litter of relatively large size on the sandy ground by havingthe sand pins 23 biting into the sand ground, the travel resistancethereof is relatively high. Hence, the travel speed thereof is set at avalue as low as about 5-10km/h.

When litter is deposited under the frame 22 of the first beach cleaner20 in a predetermined amount as a result of traveling of the first beachcleaner 20 over the sandy beach in the way as described above, the firstbeach cleaner 20 is returned to the litter collecting station 40 so thatcollection of the deposited litter is performed. The deposited litter iscollected such that when the first beach cleaner 20 enters the spacebetween the left and right side structures 41 after the vehicle 1 haspassed through the left and right side structures 41 of the littercollecting station 40, the left and right lift arms 39 thereof get uponthe left and right side structures 41 to lift the first beach cleaner 20by the predetermined amount (see FIG. 13). In this state, the vehicle 1and first beach cleaner 20 are stopped, and then the litter having beenlet to fall onto the sand ground is collected. Then, the vehicle 1 andfirst beach cleaner 20 are again made to travel to repeat theabove-described litter collection.

When the cleaning using the first beach cleaner 20 over thepredetermined range is done, the second beach cleaner 50 is made totravel over the same range by towing thereof to pick up litter ofrelatively small size on the sandy beach. By using the second beachcleaner 50 after use of the first beach cleaner 20, damage of the keelmembers 54, scraper 55, mesh member 56, and others that deal withsmall-sized litter is reduced. The path along which the second beachcleaner 50 travels is the same as that of the first beach cleaner 20.When the second beach cleaner 20 travels, the sand ground has beenturned up by the operation of the first beach cleaner 20 and soft, andthe keel members 54 and the scraper 55 should churn up sand and litter.Hence, the travel speed of the second beach cleaner 20 is set at a valueslighter higher than that of the first beach cleaner 20, i.e., about15-25 km/h.

By the second beach cleaner 50 traveling over the sandy beach, litter ofrelatively small size is churned up along with sand by the keel members54 and the scraper 55, and the churned up litter and sand are depositedin the mesh member 56 at the rear portion of the frame 53. Since it isset such that the mesh size of the meshes at the bottom wall 92 of themesh member 56 decreases from front to rear, the deposited litter doesnot easily fall and clogging of the meshes is inhibited.

When the predetermined amount of litter has been deposited in the meshmember 56 as a result of the traveling of the second beach cleaner 50over the sandy beach in the way as described above, the second beachcleaner 50 returns to the litter collecting station 40 and collection ofthe deposited litter is performed. The deposited litter is collectedsuch that when the second beach cleaner 50 enters the space between theleft and right side structures 41 of the litter collecting station 40after the vehicle 1 has passed through the left and right sidestructures 41, the left and right lift arms 81 a, 81 b at the front andrear sides thereof get upon the left and right side structures 41 tolift the second beach cleaner 50 by the predetermined amount. In thisstate, the vehicle 1 and second beach cleaner 50 are stopped, and themesh member 56 is pivoted and the deposited litter is collected.Thereafter, the vehicle 1 and the second beach cleaner 50 are again madeto travel to repeat the collection of litter as described above.

As has been illustrated above, the second beach cleaner 50 according tothe embodiment includes: the frame 53 including the plurality oflongitudinal members 51 each extending along the traveling direction andthe plurality of transverse members 52 a and 52 b each extending in thetransverse direction such that the transverse members 52 a, 52 b extendsubstantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal members 51; the keelmembers 54 and the scraper 55 disposed in the front portion of the frame53; the mesh member 56 disposed in the rear portion of the frame 53; andthe tow portion 67 disposed at the front end portion of the frame 53,the churn-up portion churning up litter scattered on the sand ground,along with sand, while the second beach cleaner 50 is traveling on thesurface of the sand ground by being towed by the towing vehicle 1, andthe churned up litter being deposited in the mesh member 56, wherein themesh member 56 has the encircling member 91 open at least at a side, andthe mesh of the mesh member 56 is relatively rough at the front portionthereof in the traveling direction and finer at the rear portion thereofin the traveling direction than that of at least the front portion.

According to this arrangement, relatively heavy damp sand is well sievedoff to fall through the relatively rough mesh at the front portion ofthe mesh member 56 in the traveling direction. On the other hand,relatively light dry sand reaches the rear portion of the mesh member 56in the traveling direction along with litter of relatively small size,and sieved off to fall through the relatively fine mesh while the litterdoes not tend to fall therethrough but is caught excellently. That is,irrespective of the conditions of the sand and litter, the sand reachingthe mesh member 56 is allowed to easily fall while the litter isinhibited from falling, thereby enhancing the capability of the secondbeach cleaner 50 to collect litter.

In the second beach cleaner 50, the mesh member 56 is disposed to beshiftable in position in the front-rear direction and relative to theframe 53. Thus, the position of the mesh member 56 is shiftable in thefront-rear direction depending on the state of scraping up of sand andlitter, thereby allowing the sand to fall further easily and inhibitingthe litter from falling more strictly.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A beach cleaner comprising: a frame including a plurality oflongitudinal members each extending along a traveling direction of thebeach cleaner, and a plurality of transverse members each extending in atransverse direction of the beach cleaner, the transverse membersextending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal members; achurn-up portion disposed in a front portion of the frame; a mesh memberdisposed in a rear portion of the frame; and a tow portion disposed at afront end portion of the frame, the churn-up portion adapted to churn uplitter scattered on sand ground, along with sand, while the beachcleaner is traveling on a surface of the sand ground by being towed by atowing vehicle, and the churned up litter being deposited in the meshmember, wherein the mesh member has an encircling member open at leastat a side, the mesh member including mesh that is relatively rough at afront portion thereof in the traveling direction, and that is finer at arear portion thereof in the traveling direction than that of at leastthe front portion.
 2. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, whereinthe mesh member is shiftable relative to the frame in a front-reardirection.
 3. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, further comprisinga front end stopper and a rear end stopper for determining positions ofa front end and a rear end of the mesh member.
 4. The beach cleaneraccording to claim 2, further comprising a front end stopper and a rearend stopper adapted to be shiftable in a front-rear direction alonglengths of the longitudinal members for determining positions of a frontend and a rear end of the mesh member.
 5. The beach cleaner according toclaim 1, wherein a front portion of the mesh member is slightly inclinedforwardly.
 6. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, wherein theencircling member includes a pair of side walls and a rear wall.
 7. Thebeach cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the mesh member is rotatableabout a hinge pipe in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction.8. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising lift armsextending laterally outward from left and right ones of the plurality oflongitudinal members, and when the mesh member is rotated to a uprightposition for emptying the mesh member a side wall of the mesh memberrests against at least one of the lift arms.
 9. The beach cleaneraccording to claim 1, further comprising a hinge on one of a left or aright side of the mesh member, and a handle on the other of the left andright side of the mesh member.
 10. The beach cleaner according to claim1, wherein the mesh member includes a hinge pipe that is shiftable in afront-rear direction between front and rear walls of a hinge bracketmounted on one of the longitudinal members.
 11. A beach cleanercomprising: a frame including a plurality of longitudinal members eachextending along a traveling direction of the beach cleaner, and aplurality of transverse members each extending in a transverse directionof the beach cleaner, the transverse members extending substantiallyperpendicularly to the longitudinal members; a churn-up portion disposedin a front portion of the frame; a mesh member disposed in a rearportion of the frame; and a tow portion disposed at a front end portionof the frame, the churn-up portion adapted to chum up litter scatteredon sand ground, along with sand, while the beach cleaner is traveling ona surface of the sand ground by being towed by a towing vehicle, and thechurned up litter being deposited in the mesh member, wherein the meshmember has an encircling member open at least at a side, wherein mesh ofthe mesh member is relatively finer at rear portion of the mesh memberin the traveling direction than is the mesh in a front portion of themesh member, wherein the churn-up portion includes a bar-shaped scraperextending through a plurality of keel members positioned from left toright near a front of the beach cleaner.
 12. The beach cleaner accordingto claim 1, wherein the mesh member is shiftable relative to the framein a front-rear direction.
 13. The beach cleaner according to claim 1,further comprising a front end stopper and a rear end stopper fordetermining positions of a front end and a rear end of the mesh member.14. The beach cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a frontend stopper and a rear end stopper adapted to be shiftable in afront-rear direction along lengths of the longitudinal members fordetermining positions of a front end and a rear end of the mesh member.15. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a front portion ofthe mesh member is slightly inclined forwardly.
 16. The beach cleaneraccording to claim 1, wherein the encircling member includes a pair ofside walls and a rear wall.
 17. The beach cleaner according to claim 1,wherein the mesh member is rotatable about a hinge pipe in a directionorthogonal to the traveling direction.
 18. The beach cleaner accordingto claim 1, further comprising lift arms extending laterally outwardfrom left and right ones of the plurality of longitudinal members, andwhen the mesh member is rotated to a upright position for emptying themesh member a side wall of the mesh member rests against at least one ofthe lift arms.
 19. The beach cleaner according to claim 1, furthercomprising a hinge on one of a left or a right side of the mesh member,and a handle on the other of the left and right side of the mesh member.20. A beach cleaner comprising: a frame including a plurality oflongitudinal members each extending along a traveling direction of thebeach cleaner, and a plurality of transverse members each extending in atransverse direction of the beach cleaner, the transverse membersextending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal members; achurn-up portion disposed in a front portion of the frame; a mesh memberdisposed in a rear portion of the frame; and left and right tow portionsdisposed at a front end portion of the frame, the churn-up portionadapted to churn up litter scattered on sand ground, along with sand,while the beach cleaner is traveling on a surface of the sand ground bybeing towed by a towing vehicle, and the churned up litter beingdeposited in the mesh member, wherein the mesh member has an encirclingmember open at least at a side, wherein mesh of the mesh member isrelatively rougher at a front portion of the mesh member in thetraveling direction than is the mesh in a rear portion of the meshmember.